​How to Use Discussion Forum Marketing for your Computer Business

​Discussion forum marketing is one of the best ways to build your online presence and establish your reputation as an expert in your field.

And doing so is as simple as finding the best forums related to your niche market, looking for questions to answer and responding to those questions in a manner that will define you as an expert in your field.

Instant consumer awareness is established. Trust is initiated. Targeted traffic starts rolling in and eventually leads to sales. Getting started is easy. Simply type in your main keyword or keyword phrase for your niche market plus the word “forum” in the Google, Yahoo or Bing search box.

For example: “Digital camera forum”

After typing in such keywords a list of websites will appear in the search results. Start searching through the results and make a list of the most active forums where people are reading and posting daily.

Look for the dates on the last posts on the main topics in the forum. If no one has posted on that same day then most likely it's not a high traffic forum. And if that be the case then move on to the next one. Once you have a list of active forums then start by getting registered with the first forum and use that first forum for practice.​

Get registered:

If your business name is XL Digital Cameras for example, then enter XL Digital Cameras for your forum member user name. However, if your business name is XLDigitalCameras.com then leave out the .com as this can be seen as an act of blatant advertising. And the last thing you want to do on these forums is to be seen as an advertiser instead of a contributor.

Once you’re registered and allowed to post, then start looking for recent threads or questions on products and issues that you know something about or have access to finding out more information on such matters. For example, in the case of digital cameras; a dentist, which has become a forum member, may ask the question of which digital camera works best to take pictures of his patience teeth.

Then you can immediately cross reference through your digital camera comparison charts to search for cameras with high resolution and macro capabilities.

Then you can make a few recommendations of the best digital cameras for his particular needs while explaining your recommendations. And if you had the opportunity to handle any one of those cameras then you can give your personal opinion based upon your experience as well.

Yet at no time are you to tell the reader in your post that he can find the camera on sale on your website or even invite him to visit your site to see more digital cameras.

Your post must be formulated to educate the public and not to make a sale. Instead, you will use your signature file for that purpose.​

Effective posting:

​An effective post will always give the reader a solution or possible solution for their questions and problems. It’s always best to answer questions and offer solutions to peoples’ problems rather than posting a stand lone post or any type of articles.

An effective post can also be one which provides 'new' knowledge to a discussion thread. And the new knowledge which you contribute to any forum should be important enough to prompt readers to give it a second or third read. And when you post something of value, you automatically increase the impact of your presence on that forum and it will get noticed.​

Once your response has been posted, an email notification will be sent to forum members who participated in that post and to those who are just following the thread and opted-in to be notified when a new response has been posted.

You may start receiving notifications from other forum members who have responded or added to your post for that particular thread. And in such a case, it would be best to respond to these messages right away, while the topic is still fresh and active. This is how you establish your presence in the online community.​

Rules for posting in forums:

Blatant advertising and self-promotion are frowned upon, and can do you more harm than good. Furthermore, most posts that can be determined as advertisements will be deleted by moderators even if it includes some valuable information within the post. And it’s important to follow rules and remain ethical as your reputation is being established by each and every post you make.

For example: Never mention the fact that you offer the product or services that are referred to in the post as this will quickly be read as advertising. Don’t use any sales terms or sales talk in your actual post; i.e. “we offer this product with free shipping”.

Never promote yourself as a dealer or a retailer in your actual posts. Instead, present yourself as a professional in your field answering questions on your related niche market, products or services without a catch. Now, yes, you’re there to market your website, but before they even consider clicking on your link to visit your site, you’ll have to give them something of value first. And the only thing you have to offer in your post is helpful and valuable information. Therefore your actual post should be nothing more than an offer of free help with useful information and with no strings attached.​

Furthermore, try not to jump into discussions without doing some light research on the subject first. And it's best not to respond to a thread without reading what others may have posted before you.

You can learn from others who may have more knowledge or experience than you do on that particular subject by reading their messages as well. And when you post your response, keep in mind that your message will be the only impression they’ll ever have of you and your business so it’s important that you write well the first time around.

For example, when writing responses to post, you should be checking your grammar, spelling, and punctuation before posting your message online. And it’s very important to write clearly and correctly. Therefore you’ll always want to take a few minutes to re-read your message carefully before making that final post. And although it's tempting to post a response that promotes your website, you must refrain from self-promotion even in a subtle manner, as that is what your signature file will be used for.​

Your signature file:

Your signature file, (also known as your sig file), will come at the end of your actual post and will consist of:

John SmithJohnSmith@TheBestDigitalCameras.comwww.TheBestDigitalCameras.comThe Best Digital Cameras at the Best Prices Online

As you can see, there’s no need to post commercial messages in these forums. Your marketing strategy in these forums is strictly via your "sig file" (signature file). However, if you add too much information to your sig file then most likely the forum moderators will edit your sig file to keep it short and simple yet may remove your slogan as well. And on most forums, your slogan will be your text link to your website, so be sure to add your most important keywords in your slogan when utilized in such a manner.

With frequent posting, your signature file will be viewed by many, daily. And by contributing to these forums with quality postings you will begin to be seen as an expert in your niche market.

Online discussion forums can become great tools for creating consumer awareness and targeted traffic when done correctly. You’ll also be contributing to the online community as a whole. And in the end, it becomes a win-win situation for everyone. Discussion forum marketing works!​